Guns and governing don’t mix

John Coldiron is correct: It’s absolutely his right to openly carry a gun into an East Nottingham Township meeting.

But just because it’s his right doesn’t mean that it’s right.

At the most recent East Nottingham Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Aug. 13, Coldiron, the chairman of the board of supervisors, presided over the proceedings in a very pleasant, cordial manner. He sought residents’ opinions on a variety of subjects during the course of the meeting. There was nothing threatening about his demeanor. “We’re here for you guys,” he told the audience at one point.

Yet, there was something troubling about the sight of a supervisor sitting at the table with a gun strapped to his side.

A group of residents has been at loggerheads with Coldiron and the other supervisors (at least those not named Gene Turns) over a variety of issues. Debates at the meetings have occasionally become heated.

Several of those residents who are at odds with Coldiron expressed their concerns that he would openly carry a gun to a public meeting. They contend that it’s not simply a case of a person exercising his Second Amendment right to carry a firearm; rather, it’s an attempt by the supervisor to intimidate his detractors.

That’s a problem. Common sense should prevail here. Guns and governing don’t mix. If even one resident feels threatened that their elected representative is carrying a gun to a public meeting, that’s one too many. Coldiron should leave his gun at home the next time.

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